Real Madrid Will Play 2017 MLS All-Stars Over the Summer

It’s official, Real Madrid will play the MLS All-Stars this summer. The game will be held on August 2nd, at Chicago’s Soldier Field. This is the first time that a La Liga team will play the MLS All-Stars and it’s something that excites Chicago Fire technical director Veljko Paunovic:

I know how special it is to compete against Real Madrid and I think our players and fans will also enjoy the experience.

Soldier Field has a capacity of 61,500 fans, meaning that a full stadium is likely to bring in a fair amount of revenue for Real Madrid. But more than that, Los Blancos are doing this for the exposure. Building a fanbase abroad can be a very lucrative thing if successful. Current fans might feel like it puts players at greater risk of injury, but this is the face of the modern game. All super-clubs do it and it seems to be a key part of their brand building strategy.